A glowing mana screen appeared before Kai, filled with countless names. Five names at the top shone in radiant gold.

  “This is the record board for the Apprentice and Adept level test,” she explained. “It’s a general test for all mana practitioners across Sacra. Every beginner must take it to be admitted into a school or academy. I am connected to all of Sacra and can access their tests.”

  “This will be a standard test. You are not yet strong enough for one of my personal trials.”

  “The goal is simple: survive as long as you can using the skills you’ve acquired. You’ve grown through your travels, so I expect you to score well. But the top five? That’s impossible for you. These five have held their positions through countless years, ever shining bright.”

  Kai’s eyes locked onto the golden names:

  Kaila D’Sa Vant, Elric Crimsonwing, La’Zaur Santimus, Pyrex, and Alura Solarius.

  “Who are they?” he asked.

  “They are known as history’s strongest. Each one forged a legacy that shaped the world. To have your name shine gold, you must pass the test perfectly and be under twenty years of age. Only true prodigies reach that level.”

  She paused.

  “Keep your expectations low.”

  But Kai had a goal now. He would pass the test perfectly; he had to. To grow stronger.

  ***

  “Touch the mana screen, and it will teleport your mind into the trial,” Tenebria said.

  Kai stepped forward and placed his hand on the glowing surface.

  The screen flared with light, and in an instant, his body materialized in a vast valley, standing atop a grand arena.

  A majestic voice echoed through the space:

  “Welcome to the First Trial of Sacra. Your objective is simple: survive. Each time you defeat an enemy, a stronger one will appear. Continue until you can no longer fight. If you die, you will feel pain, but you will not perish. This is a spiritual realm after all. Now, choose your weapon from the rack to your left. The trial will begin shortly.”

  Kai walked to the rack and selected a double-edged sword, similar to the one he had wielded before. He stepped into the center of the arena, mind and body aligned.

  A soldier emerged, standard-issue armor, spear gripped tight. Kai sensed his level: barely an Apprentice.

  Without hesitation, Kai surged forward, his blade pulsing with blue mana. The soldier lunged with practiced precision, but Kai was faster. He sidestepped left, his sword slicing through the man's defenses in a single, fluid motion. The fight ended before it began.

  Then came an Adept Mage, conjured in a flash of light, launching fireballs in rapid bursts. A rain of flames descended. Kai cloaked himself in water mana, his body and blade shimmering with liquid energy. Most of the fire fizzled harmlessly against his shield as he deflected the rest.

  The mage began chanting a second spell, but Kai wouldn’t allow it. He coiled his legs and dashed, appearing before the caster in a blink. His blade pierced the mage’s chest cleanly.

  Another swift kill.

  Kai’s body glowed, restoring itself to peak condition. The next wave arrived.

  Two mid-level Apprentices charged from opposite flanks; spears aimed at his heart. Kai summoned water mana, moonlight weaving through it. A rippling membrane formed around him. The spears struck, then bounced off harmlessly.

  With a burst of force, Kai expelled his mana outward, sending both warriors tumbling. As one scrambled to recover, Kai lunged, his blade now laced with poison. A scream echoed as dark veins spread across the soldier’s body. He collapsed, lifeless.

  The second spearman roared, fire mana surging into his weapon. He unleashed a blazing thrust, grazing Kai’s arm. But Kai retaliated instantly, releasing two compressed slashes of water mana. The man dropped dead before he hit the ground.

  From a control chamber above, an old man watched.

  “Hmph. This youngling is strong. Let’s make things interesting.”

  Another flash. Two high-level Adepts appeared. One summoned a barrage of deep blue icicles; the other raised an earth wall behind Kai, trapping him.

  Kai felt the pressure. He reinforced his water membrane, infused his sword with poison mana, and activated his coiling technique. His spirit sense guided him, dodging, parrying, and weaving through the deadly ice.

  Kai appeared before the ice mage, but the trap was already set.

  Icicles erupted from the ground the moment his feet touched down, stabbing clean through his leg. Pain lanced up his body. He roared, slicing the ice apart with a furious swing of his blade. Poison mana surged from his sword in jagged slashes, streaking toward the mage.

  The toxic energy corroded the mage’s water shield instantly, seeping into his bloodstream. Within seconds, the mage collapsed, convulsing violently. His body twitched once more, then lay still.

  Kai didn’t pause.

  Blood streamed from his leg, but he dashed toward the earth mage, ignoring the pain. Mud rose to slow him, thick and clinging, but Kai vaulted over it with a burst of mana, landing in a blur of motion.

  The earth mage panicked, summoning spikes to block the incoming strikes. But his mana was running dry. Kai’s blade tore through the defenses, one deadly slash finding its mark.

  The mage gasped, eyes wide, then crumpled to the ground.

  “Stronger than two high-level Adepts... Let’s see how he handles a group.”

  Kai steadied his breath. This was easier than the life-or-death battles in the Beastworld Jungle. What he didn’t realize was that real combat forged strength far beyond what academies could teach.

  Suddenly, five enemies appeared: two Peak Adepts, three Peak Apprentices, two with swords, one wielding a massive hammer.

  Kai’s eyes lit up. Finally, a challenge. He chuckled to himself. He sounded just like Umbra.

  One Adept summoned rows of wind spears, spiraling through the air. The sword-wielders charged, their blades burning red with mana enhancements. The second mage amplified their power further.

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  As the wind spears flew and swords swung, Kai activated his moonlight mana. His blade shimmered with triple-colored light. The crescent moon tattoo on his chest radiated pure white energy, strengthening his body beneath the dark blue membrane.

  He dashed forward, weaving through the wind spears like a phantom. The swordsmen froze mid-swing, Kai’s blade cleaved their weapons, then their heads.

  From above, the hammer-wielder descended, body enlarged, weapon crashing down.

  Too slow.

  Kai surged upward, shattering the hammer and the warrior with a single strike.

  Mid-air, the mages fired beams of fire and wind, hitting Kai square in the chest.

  His enhanced membrane held, ripples scattered the damage like waves.

  Kai retaliated. Two crescent-shaped sword lights flew from his blade, slicing through the Adepts.

  Kai ended the fight swiftly, unleashing his strongest techniques without restraint. He wasn’t here to test his limits; he was here to grow stronger. These opponents, though skilled, were mere distractions.

  He felt it in his bones: too much time wasted. Each clash, each spell, each summoned enemy, it was all part of a test, but Kai had no patience left. Real battles didn’t wait; real enemies didn’t give second chances.

  “How is this possible?” The old man yelled, jumping from his seat.

  ***

  In the white world of the Grimoire, Tenebria watched the trial unfold. Her expression remained calm, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

  A nameless fighter had surged through the ranks, leaping from obscurity to rank 137 in a single sweep. It was unprecedented. The rise of a new genius could shift the balance of power across Sacra. Whichever nation or family claimed such a prodigy would ascend in prestige, gaining influence and long-lasting benefits.

  ***

  Eastsun Continent – Kingdom of Paleria

  In the heart of one of the strongest human nations, King Sandoval IV sat upon his throne in the majestic capital castle. A report had just reached him: a nameless figure had skyrocketed in the First Trial rankings.

  He was not pleased.

  Now, it had to be now, with the continent at the brink of war, with demons watching their every move, a figure appears that could cause even more chaos.

  He needed to find him before anyone else.

  “Summon the Shadow Corps,” he commanded, voice thunderous. “Investigate every trial currently active on the continent. Find out who this person is. We must know, are they a threat, or a potential asset?”

  The shadows moved swiftly, vanishing into the kingdom’s depths.

  ***

  Eastsun Continent – The Seven Towers

  On the far edge of the continent, seven towers pierced the clouds. Six surrounded a central golden spire, radiant and ancient.

  At the top of the golden tower, an old man sat alone, eyes fixed on a glowing mana screen. He watched the nameless figure rise through the ranks. His gaze was cold, calculating, but curious.

  Could it be another one after all these years? The old man pondered.

  ***

  Westland Continent – Crimson Wastes

  In a desert that bled red like spilled blood, a monstrous city stood behind towering walls. At its center, a fortress loomed like a jagged fang.

  Inside, a crimson-skinned demon sat upon a throne of bone and obsidian. One black horn curled from the left side of his head; the other was broken. His chest was bare, covered in scars and tattoos that pulsed with mana.

  He snarled as the report reached him. Someone was climbing the rankings, and it wasn’t one of his kind. The trials were tightly controlled. No one from his race was currently participating. He couldn’t allow humans to gain another powerhouse, not now.

  The goblet in his hand shattered from rage.

  “Find this prospect,” he growled. “Either kill him... or bring him to me.”

  ***

  Across the world of Sacra, Kai’s appearance had triggered a storm.

  To be ranked in the top 200, even among ancient monsters and legendary prodigies, was no small feat. Every power, kingdoms, academies, clans, and warlords now had their eyes on him.

  A nameless figure was rising.

  And the world was watching.

  ***

  Kai, unaware of what was unfolding behind the scenes, waited patiently for his next fight.

  The old man, eyes gleaming with mischief, prepared the next test.

  “Fine, fine, fine. Hmph. Let me see you defeat this enemy. Kaila will do,” he chuckled.

  Only one opponent appeared before Kai this time. She looked to be his age; her red hair tied neatly behind her. Twin swords, the same crimson hue as her hair, glistened under the arena lights.

  Kai sensed danger immediately. His tattoo flared, mana cloaked his body, and his blade hummed with power. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, slashing toward the girl.

  She dodged effortlessly, spinning her swords as dark red lightning cracked the ground around her. In a blink, she vanished, then reappeared behind Kai, slicing through his mana membrane with ease.

  Kai recoiled, channeling mana into his legs to leap backward, trying to heal the wound on his back mid-air.

  But the lightning-wielding girl gave him no respite. She appeared again, her crackling swords slashing relentlessly. Kai deflected the blows, his hands growing numb from the constant electric shocks. His tattoo pulsed, pushing moonlight through his body to keep it from falling apart.

  This is insane. We should be on the same level, Kai thought.

  Desperate, he attempted to merge his three separate energies again, just like he had against the centipede. His spirit snakes awakened, flooding his body and blade with elemental mana. He urged the energies to combine, focusing on the memory of that moment.

  As he defended against Kaila, who teleported around the battlefield like living lightning, his blade began to change. An intense azure light blazed from it like eternal fire.

  In the control station, the old man fell off his chair.

  “Impossible!”

  Seeing the azure glow, Kaila summoned bars of lightning that danced around her as she zoomed toward Kai, thunder echoing with each step. She struck like a thunder god, her dark red lightning clashing with Kai’s blade.

  Kai pushed his spirit sense to the limit and swung.

  Sound exploded.

  Both fighters were hurled backward like arrows, crashing into the arena floor.

  Kai’s crescent moon tattoo stabilized his body, allowing him to rise from the rubble. Kaila stood too, but then vanished in a flash of light.

  Kai sat, regaining his senses. As always, his body was restored to full power after each battle.

  Suddenly, the old man appeared, hair wild, eyes wide with shock.

  “Boy, how old are you? Don’t lie to me!” he demanded, his voice echoing through the arena.

  Kai blinked, confused. “I’m seventeen,” he replied calmly.

  “What a freak of nature,” the old man muttered, running his hand through his already disheveled hair. “How did you summon Aura at seventeen, with a body at peak apprentice level? That’s not possible. Show it to me. Let me see it up close.”

  Kai sighed but complied. He had a good sense of how to do it now.

  He urged his serpents to push equal amounts of mana into his blade, using his spirit sense to merge the energies. Suddenly, an azure flame-like light enveloped the sword.

  The old man stepped closer, inspecting the blade. He even touched it, his hand passing through the energy.

  “So interesting… In all these years, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s not Aura, but it is similar. You’ve compressed triple-element mana into a single energy, gaining power nearly equal to a peak Knight. It’s not true Aura yet, but it’s close.”

  He continued, offering advice:

  “Your mana control is the issue. The aura is too wild; it needs to be contained in a single layer around the blade. The more refined the aura, the stronger the attack. Currently, as it is, this energy will destroy any blade you use it on. You’ll need countless weapons.”

  Kai listened intently as the old man explained his skill in detail.

  “With this fight, you’re now in the top five or six. Kaila will lose her spot to you, but she’s still an unparalleled genius of her generation. She won’t lose her golden symbol.”

  Kai’s heart trembled. He had fought Kaila D’Sa Vant, the number five in the rankings, and won?

  “Don’t get cocky,” the old man warned. “She was just a copy from her trial attempt. If she fought for real, I doubt you’d have had time to use your quasi-Aura skill. But alas, one final test remains.”

  A perfect black metallic sphere floated into view.

  “After defeating a golden-ranked challenger, you can take a power test to compare yourself to the others. This will finalize your ranking and help me choose an appropriate reward.”

  “Now, use your strongest attack on this ball. Pick another sword from the pile. Go, go!” he urged, eager to see Kai’s full power.

  Kai selected a new blade and stood before the sphere.

  If he wants my strongest move… that would be Moonlit Dance – One Thread. But I need to mask it. I can’t risk anyone recognizing the Dawnbreaker inheritance.

  He summoned his quasi-azure aura and mimicked the movements from memory. His serpents spun, forming a black and white circle. The silver snake urged the core to push all mana through his channels. Then, with graceful simplicity, Kai struck.

  Azure light masked the whiteness of the thread as it pierced the sphere.

  The old man fell on his backside.

  “You made a hole through a mana-forged argmetal sphere. Not even a Peak Knight should be able to do that. Amazing!”

  “That move is incredible, but the toll it takes on your body is severe. Use it only when your life depends on it. I recommend waiting until your body reaches peak Knight level.”

  He looked at Kai with pride. As the spirit of the trials, he had seen many challengers, but this boy had shattered every expectation.

  “Now, time for your rewards!”

  The old man transported them to another room.

  Shiny objects floated in magical cases…